


Merry Christmas, Darling

by sunshineflying



Series: In Darkness Without You verse [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, First Christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-19
Updated: 2014-12-19
Packaged: 2018-03-02 05:49:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2801846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineflying/pseuds/sunshineflying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A coda to my 2013 One Direction Big Bang fic, "In Darkness Without You."</p><p>Two years after the accident that took five years of Gemma's memories away from her, she's recovered and back together with her husband Niall, and now their baby is here. A fluffy Christmas piece about baby's first Christmas with some cute family and Nemma moments as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Merry Christmas, Darling

**Author's Note:**

> Almost a year later I'm still getting requests to write more for this verse, so here you go!
> 
> Feel free to request other codas/moments if you'd like!

“Psst, Gemma! Wake up!”

Gemma groaned as she rolled over in bed, exhausted from the night before. Their daughter hadn’t slept well during the night, and she’d been up with her since Niall slept like a log. Her reply was incoherent, and Niall grinned as he said, “It’s Christmas!”

“I know,” Gemma grumbled.

She rolled over and buried her face in the pillows. It was before dawn on Christmas morning and her idiotic fiancé-husband was bothering her. “But Father Christmas,” he urged.

“You’re Father Christmas now, daddy,” Gemma teased. “If you want gifts from him, you’d better move them from the closet to the tree.”

“If I do, can I eat the cookies?” he asked eagerly.

“You’re supposed to,” she grumbled into her pillow.

Niall climbed out of bed excitedly and went to the closet to find a bag full of gifts. “If you wake Evie before she wakes on her own, I will injure you,” Gemma warned. “I just got her to sleep an hour ago.”

“You know you can wake me up when she’s fussing,” Niall offered, feeling a bit guilty that Gemma always got up with her.

Gemma sighed, knowing full well she’d be unable to go back to sleep now. She sat up and pushed her hair out of her face as she said, “You don’t wake up no matter what I do. Short of chopping off your bits, I haven’t got a clue how to do it.”

She shoved the blankets aside and climbed out of bed, wandering to the bathroom with a grumpy, just-woken-up look on her face. Niall stared at the door for a minute, frowning, and then turned to leave the room with the gifts.

There was already a large pile of them under the tree of their flat. They still stayed in Niall’s posh flat downtown, still not finding a need for a larger place no matter what his income with the band. Evie wasn’t yet a year old, and they were celebrating her first Christmas that day. Niall was really excited about it, but appeared to be the only one. There were gifts spread all over with Evie’s name on them, Gemma’s own little way of showing her excitement over their baby’s first Christmas.

Gemma trudged into the kitchen as Niall finished unpacking the gifts from their bags, and he wandered over to her where she was making coffee for them. “No tea?” Niall asked.

Usually she’d put on tea right away in the morning, but Gemma shook her head. “I need coffee,” she mumbled. “More caffeine.”

“How long was Evie up last night?” Niall wondered, his arms draping around her waist as he stood behind her while she worked.

“Well, you put her to bed around midnight, and she woke at three. I didn’t get her to sleep until nearly half past four, and now an hour later, here we are,” Gemma explained. Once the coffee maker was brewing she turned around to face him. “I’m going to be a grump today but I promise to try not to be one, alright?”

“We need to figure something else out with Evie,” Niall said desperately. “I can do more, I swear.”

“Niall, don’t start,” Gemma begged. “We’ve talked about this. I let you sleep because these times that you’re home are the only times you really get to sleep, anyway. When you’re on the road you’re always awake performing or recording or doing whatever interviews or phone calls you need to. You deserve a good night’s rest.”

“But you’re up with her all the time, even when I’m away,” Niall argued.

“I promise it’s okay,” Gemma insisted.

Niall was full of disbelief, but didn’t protest. He leaned in to kiss her and push her bleached blonde hair out of her face. “I’ll make breakfast. What would you like?” he asked.

“Coffee,” Gemma replied stubbornly. “And more coffee.”

“How about some cinnamon buns?” he asked with a fond smile.

“As long as you let me have coffee, too,” she argued.

“Deal,” he smiled. Niall leaned in to kiss her and then said, “Go back to bed for a few hours. The coffee will still be warm when you wake up again. I’ll get Evie if she wakes up.” Gemma tried to protest but he gave her a gentle pat on the bum and said, “Go!”

Gemma awoke again at half past ten, and she looked around in confusion. She hadn’t meant to sleep _that_ late, and now they only had a few hours before Harry and Anne would be over. They’d spent the day before with Niall’s family, arriving into London late the previous evening. She wandered out into the living room to see Niall on the sofa, Evie chewing on a teething ring as they watched a rerun of a football match. “Showing her some educational programmes, I see,” Gemma teased.

Niall looked up to see Gemma in the kitchen, pouring herself a coffee. “Feeling better?” he asked.

“Much,” Gemma replied. She walked to the sofa and sat down next to him. After giving him a kiss on the cheek, she said, “Thank you.”

Niall beamed at her, still as happy with her and as in love as he’d been for years. Gemma leaned down to look at their baby girl, beaming as she said, “Good morning sweetheart! Happy First Christmas!”

Evie smiled at her mum, bright blue eyes dancing with happiness. Her brown hair was just in a tuft on her head, but it was enough to give her a tiny ponytail atop her head. She looked like the perfect blend of Niall and Gemma, hints of both coming through in her face and her smile. They’d both taken to parenting quite well, and Harry was overjoyed when named godfather of little Evie.

Gemma sipped her coffee as she watched the football match with Niall and Evie. Football was one of the only things they could put on the telly to get Evie to stop fussing. Something about the whistles and the shapes she saw on the screen really soothed her. Even though football wasn’t Gemma’s favourite thing, she’d taken to watching it more purely because she had to watch it so often, especially now that Evie was teething. Niall was quite proud of his daughter for making a football spectator out of Gemma.

After a short while, Gemma asked, “Well Evie? Should we see what Father Christmas brought before we have to get ready for Grandma Anne and Uncle Harry arrive?”

Evie smiled brightly, her chubby little legs kicking, and she squirmed on Niall’s lap. Gemma picked her up, the teething ring falling to the couch, and she shifted her to her own lap as Niall began to rummage through the gifts.

In the end, Evie had a pile of toys by her feet, a new dress in her mouth, and a Christmas bow in her hair. Niall had a new football jersey for his favourite player, and Gemma had a beautiful diamond pendant necklace. “Father Christmas was quite generous this year,” Gemma grinned at Niall.

Niall wiggled his eyebrows slyly and leaned in for a kiss as Evie continued to chew on her dress, oblivious to her parents.

After that, Niall began to clean up as Gemma brought Evie to her nursery to get ready for the holiday festivities that afternoon. Evie had a beautiful red frilly dress with white glittery tights and a ponytail in her hair. She wore shiny red shoes like Dorothy, and she looked ready for Christmas. Then Gemma set her in her playchair so she could get ready as well.

Gemma looked at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair, and she couldn’t help but feel incredibly lucky to be where she was in that moment. The scar across her head was still there from the accident, but it had faded. It was the only reminder she’d ever have of the accident that had nearly broken her marriage. It would have, if Niall hadn’t been so stubborn and romantic.

She now looked the way she had before the accident, though with a bit more curve in her hips and a tummy that wasn’t as flat as it used to be. She didn’t mind, because it was all evidence that she and Niall were building the lives they wanted. They had little Evie, and they’d already discussed giving her a sibling or two when the timing felt right. Things had worked out miraculously well for the two of them, given the circumstances.

Gemma pulled on a red jumper and some skinny jeans, and her hair was brushed back simply. Her makeup was much more minimalist now that she realized being a mum of a baby was too much work; the makeup would run from sweat or flying baby food and occasionally baby sick as well. Or rather, that was a possibility. Niall had been the one to experience baby sick on the face, but as Gemma told him, it was his fault. He shouldn’t have been bouncing her in the air over his head when she’d just eaten.

She secured the new necklace around her neck and added earrings to match before she wandered out into the bedroom. Niall was dressed in a cream coloured jumper and some nice jeans, and he was talking to Evie, making her giggle.

“They’ll be here soon,” she warned him. “We should go start dinner.”

Niall turned to look over his shoulder and leaned in for a soft kiss. “Just a few more minutes. I like being alone with you two,” he whispered.

Gemma didn’t always understand it, but Niall really liked being with Evie and Gemma in total solitude. Something about Gemma’s smile and Evie’s giggle made him feel more relaxed and confident than anything else. He loved the fans and his career but he’d always love being at home with his girls far more. They kept him steady when the stress from jumping back into stardom would hit him. It affected all the lads in different ways, but they’d found methods of coping.

Niall’s was Gemma and Evie. Sometimes he’d call them, other times he’d ask them to fly out to visit, but no matter what he asked, they’d do it. Gemma could afford to leave work if she needed to, and Evie was one of the best travelers in the world. Anything that moved – cars, buses, trains, planes – they all put her right to sleep.

Gemma leaned her head on his shoulder and watched him tickle Evie’s tummy, drawing more laughter out of her tiny little body. Her limbs flailed everywhere and she looked so happy. Niall felt as happy as Evie looked, and he whispered softly, “I love you, Gems.”

“I love you too, Niall,” she replied easily. “Always.”

“I know,” he whispered back.

Gemma kissed his shoulder and enjoyed their tender moment, happy that she and Niall had finally gotten their lives back where they’d wanted them after the accident.


End file.
